Sustainable Use Of TDA In Stormwater Infiltration/Treatment

A new collaborative three-year research project launched in June 2022 and funded by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board is underway with co-principal investigators John Gulliver and Meijun Cai, both of the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, investigating the applicability of two inch TDA for stormwater treatment. The overall objective of the research is to develop a system of media that will utilize the phosphate retaining characteristic of TDA while reducing zinc and copper release.

“The use of TDA has been proposed in the past for use in stormwater treatment.  However, local agencies aren’t very familiar with the product being used for this application and have concerns about its potential to contaminate groundwater resources,” said Mark Hansen, city engineer, City of Coon Rapids and Technical Liaison for the study.  “Initial research is showing positive benefits for the use of TDA as a component of the stormwater treatment process, while minimizing its impacts to groundwater.  Using TDA for this application provides a great opportunity to redirect old car tires from landfills and beneficially reuse them to assist in providing stormwater treatment.”

The research objectives are to select blend materials identified in literature review and mix them in different ratios with TDA; measure the pollutant removal performance from runoff, leaching of zinc and copper from TDA, and infiltration capacity of each mix; analyze the observed values to choose the suitable blend material/ratio; perform lab batch tests to evaluate the potential leaching or removal of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) by TDA and the blends; determine impact of biofilms on the leaching of zinc and copper from the mix. Biofilms will be grown on an already defined mix of TDA with blend material, the researchers said. A final objective is to conduct outreach on project results and implications to management to key stakeholder groups.

The estimated completion date for the research project is 6/30/2025.

© Scrap Tire News, February 2023